Fire and Ice
by buffymorpher2000
Summary: This is a sequel to Emotionless; Faith is out of prison and Buffy is battling the first
1. Chapter 1

Author: LELE

Rating: R to NC-17 (the fun stuff)

Summary: Now that Faith is out of prison will her relationship continue to grow or are there just too many obstacles in the way?

AN: Yes this is a sequel. Did I ever plan on one? No. If you hate this blame it on Bobbi, she put the idea in my head. Okay well she mentioned wanting one and I laughed to myself thinking it's never going to happen, but then all I kept thinking about was doing a sequel. Finally I was rereading one of my old poetry books and I came across Robert Frost's "Fire and Ice" and here we are. Thank you Gina, seriously, for being my Beta on this as well as Leave Out All The Rest, which is definitely my priority over this fic.

Fire and Ice

_Some say the world will end in fire,  
Some say in ice.  
From what I've tasted of desire  
I hold with those who favor fire.  
But if it had to perish twice,  
I think I know enough of hate  
To say that for destruction ice  
Is also great  
And would suffice._

**Robert Frost**

Chapter One

"Oh Shit!" Is the first thing I've said since we left L.A. and Red started to talk. I don't know if Willow swerved the car because she saw the girl hit the ground in front of us or from my yelling. It is not often that I'm surprised, but when things like this happen I need to take a minute. While I paused to take a breath, Red was quick to get out of the car to check on the girl lying in the road.

"Yup, I guess I'm back in Sunnydale." I know it wasn't the most sensitive thing to say, but this the only place I know where you see carnage the moment you pass by the Welcome sign.

"Do you mind giving me a hand?" Obviously Red was annoyed though she was trying to play it off; still I kept my comments to myself and went over to help her out. Apparently helping Willow consisted of standing next to the bleeding, unconscious girl while Glinda the Good Witch called 911. When the ambulance arrived they were quick to grab the girl and go, while the police stayed to ask us some questions. Lucky for me, Glinda did all the talking, because it would have been a lot harder for me to keep the sarcasm out of my voice when I explained the situation. Seriously, Red has to be a saint to be so patient when explaining that the girl was stabbed. How would any cop in their right mind think a car could cause a knife wound?

Surprisingly enough, the ride to the hospital was a quiet one. Personally I am used to living in my thoughts, but I was sort of worried that Red would explode if she didn't say something soon. Before I decided to break the silence, I looked over at Willow only to find her shaking a smidge. I knew she couldn't have been freaked out by what just happened with everything she's seen, but then I noticed the tremor was coming from right hand, the hand that was covered in the girl's blood.

Seeing panic in a Scooby's eye has always been intriguing to me. It's not that I want them in pain, but normally they're all smiles, so seeing that shit can affect them makes me feel a little better.

"Like I said, I'm still working on being okay." When she said that to me, I gave her a light nod back even though I had no idea what she was talking about. Suddenly I felt pretty bad about ignoring her the entire car ride. I guess I missed out on some pretty important shit.

The ride to the hospital was short, I probably could have gotten here faster on foot, but really I'm not too excited to be here in the first place. Once again Red is out of the car before I can even get the door open, but she waits patiently for me by the hood. I really hate this place.

As soon as I'm by her side we head for the doors, which seem to take forever to get to even though it's actually only seconds before we're inside. Instead of seeking out Road Kill girl, Red hightails it to the nearest bathroom and washes down both arms. If I wasn't here, I bet the girl would have tried to jump in the sink for a bath.

After some wandering, talking to ten nurses and five doctors, we finally find the girl we were looking for. Since technically we're not family, they told us her condition was confidential. Looking into the window, I see there isn't much to tell us anyway, since Sunshine is obviously still knocked out. For the first time in what seemed like years, Willow finally left my side. Of course she was only gone for three minutes; god forbid someone leave the ex-psycho alone.

"I called the house, Buffy's out on patrol." Good to know B still has them on a short leash.

"You sure she's one of us? She doesn't look like much now. Not a potential Slayer, I mean." I said while looking at the barely breathing girl.

"Don't know, seems to fit, though. We'll know more when she regains consciousness." Red replied with a lot of hope behind her words.

"If she regains consciousness, girl's been gutted like a catfish." God I'm hungry.

"Yeah..." Red said while trying not to make eye contact.

"Something's killing girls all over the world, trying to end the Slayer line. Thing like that, figure I might get a heads up." Why the fuck didn't Buffy call me?

"Faith..." As much as I would've liked to see Red try to talk her way out of it, I couldn't stand being in this place any longer.

"You know what; I'm going to go find miss Slayer-in-charge. If the girl wakes up, she's going to want to talk to the Chosen One, not second best." Okay so I was being a bit salty.

"I don't know…" Just 'cause I'm pissed-off, why does she have to think I'm going to go overboard.

"Hey, no worries, okay. B and I are wicked chill now, so it's all good." Before the Scooby was able to speak, I took off down the halls and out the door to find my golden Slayer.

Using my senses, it didn't take me too long to hunt down my other half. All I wanted to do was run over to her and jump into her arms. With great effort, I was able to make myself stay where I was. As creepy as it may be, I just wanted to watch her for a second. Beautiful. The way she moved, the strength that was hidden under her tiny frame…it was all so stunning I needed a moment to take it all in. I love her, and now we can finally be together without any bullshit. Well, minus that whole evil thing trying to end the Slayer line crap we have to deal with first.

Still, this is our new start. For the first time since I met her, we are on the same page with the same goal. It's a good feeling, being on the same side, loving her the way she deserves and knowing she loves me back just as much. Fuck taking the moment, I am ready to get the girl.

With strong and steady steps, I start walking to my final destination. However, my B starts running in a different direction and I quickly notice she found herself a vamp to play with. Since B has taught me that sharing is caring, I figure she'll have no problem with me taking this kill from her. Vamps are just the gift that keeps on giving.

As Buffy looks to be closing in on the vamp, dead-breath changes direction quick enough to increase the gap between herself and B. The move would've been pretty smart if she wasn't heading straight toward me. Once I'm a foot, I step out from the shadows and punch mush-for-brains right in the face. The second my fist made contact I could feel her nose break, and a sense of belonging fell over me. Looking up from the vamp, I see B finally decided to join in on the fun.

"Hey B, fancy meeting you here." Giving her my dimple-packed smile, I expected a much better response than I received.

"You know, when Willow said she was bringing someone with her, I should have known it was you." The venom in her voice completely threw me off.

"Buffy…"

It shouldn't be this hard. That's the first thing I that comes to my mind when she hits me for the first time. I get that I've been locked up for the last couple of years but this is ridiculous, no cry-baby vampire is going to make me her bitch. As far as shitty days go, this one really is top notch. First I have to fake-listen to Willow as she babbles for two hours straight while driving from Angel's place, then the only thing that shuts her up is some girl getting tossed out of a car in front of us. And now I'm fighting some skanky vampire bitch with Buffy watching on like she couldn't care less who wins. Finally forcing myself to concentrate, I quickly stake the vamp and turn to ask B what crawled up her ass and died.

"Listen, B," Turning around, I see Blondie has already started to walk away now that the show is over. "Hey, wait just a second. What the hell is going on with you?" As much as I wanted to chase after her, I stood my ground and shouted as loud as I could at her.

"Sorry Faith, I didn't realize I was supposed to have a parade set up to celebrate your return." Walking back over to me Buffy made sure to get right in my face. "We do need you Faith, but don't get it twisted. I don't want you here. Once this is all over, I plan on going many more years without having to see your face again." Her stone cold eyes made my insides feel like something was slowly tearing me apart.

"So what, am I only good enough for you when we're both locked up?" I wanted to sound angry, righteous, but my voice was too broken for even fake confidence.

"I don't know what the fuck you're taking about." Even though I knew I was in no shape to go ten rounds with B, I still had to know what she was talking about.

"You seemed to want me around when I was fucking you nice and hard in my bed a couple of months ago." I hated to lower what we had to just sex, but if she was going to hurt me than I was just going to have to go back at her.

"Did you start using in prison Faith, because the only way I would ever let you touch me like that is in your dreams. That must have been some hallucination though, me in prison and actually wanting you. Only animals belong in cages." She didn't need to finish her sentence, the way she eyed me clearly expressed what she thought.

Without waiting for me to reply, Buffy once again walks away. Instead of following her and forcing her to explain what the hell she was talking about, I decide to talk the longest route I could to her house.

Life sure is one shitty beast. Every time I think I have something figured out, everything has to change and fuck my world up wicked shitty. Ever since she left me all I could think about was getting out and being with her, and this is what I get. Leaning against a mausoleum, I slowly fall to my knees. Fuck her and everything she said or meant to me. I always knew she was no good for me; a girl like her is all pretty and perfect.

"_Nobody's perfect."_ Her voice whispers to me. Fuck you Buffy Summers.

With my hands trying to hide my face, I cried.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Okay, I just want to start by saying thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I have never done a sequel before so I was really nervous about how this was going to be. As usual, I cannot promise frequent updates because I want to stay focused on my other fic. For those of you who cussed out Buffy in your review, thanks for the laugh, and don't hate on her too much. Finally I just want to give a shot out to my beta Gina, thank you thank you.

Chapter 2

When the rain started pouring I thought I would finally have some motivation to pull myself off of the ground. Time has passed though, minutes and hours blend together for me now, and I continue to find myself lying in the mud, soaking from the rain. I should be cold, freezing, or wet, but all I can feel is the emptiness that has consumed me, the emptiness that has spread more and more since she left me here alone. How I wish I could just hate her and make things easier, but life has no knowledge of things that are easy. If I was stronger I could end this, I could lay on my back, open my mouth to the rain above me and drown. Being weak is so easy it requires no thought.

I knew this day would come, that I would wake up to find the dream was just that, a dream. It still hurts though. It's likes preparing yourself for a beating, doesn't matter how tough you think you are, you're still going to end up laying on the floor, blood dripping from your face, while trying to breathe with cracked ribs. Or maybe that's just my fucked up existence. Maybe I am not allowed to have anything good for too long.

Pulling myself up and out of my depressing little mud bath, I begin to wipe the dirt from my arms and clothes. Even though B is a big part of why I'm here, I also came here to do some good. I am all about the good deeds now a days, and I really shouldn't let Ms. High and Mighty side track me from that. I know, easier said than done. God B…

No! I can not let my mind go there, I will not cry over her, again. She doesn't know me. She doesn't see me.

But God I see her, all of the time. I see you, B, but you're looking right through me.

Fucking hell, I need to stop this right now. Remember the mission, forget about the girl. She has already forgotten about you.

The walk to Scooby Central is a slow and painful one. Each step brings me closer to Buffy and whatever else she plans to say to tear me down. I feel like I killed Finch all over again, like I'm just some disgusting thing breathing in her air. I think I finally get why Angel walked away from her; some things are too hard to work for.

Coming to the realization that this was it, was some kind of a comfort in an odd sort of way. For once I finally knew where I stood with B. When she was locked up and fucked up, I guess I was good enough for a roll in the sack. But in the real world, in her world, I am nothing to her. I got you loud and clear B, we're over. Fuck, did we ever really begin? Was that even you in my dreams?

Shit, I almost forgot about my dreams. They seemed so real and genuine. Is she just playing me?

Walking through the center of Sunnydale to get to B's house was probably a bad idea. Now to accompany my depressing thoughts, I get to enjoy the sight of all the happy couples walking around. Where is a good public breakup when you need one? Stupid happy people.

When I finally reach Revello Drive the street seems peaceful and calm, but I have become tense and nervous. Every step I take seems to become heavier and heavier to the point where it almost feels as though I am dragging myself to her house. Life can be funny sometimes. Back in the day I used to dream about staying with B and fighting by her side again. But now it's terrifying. After having all of her, I don't know if just being near B will be enough anymore.

Making my way up B's driveway, I see the welcome wagon is waiting for me.

"S'up, Red? Didn't get enough of me today?" Reigning in all my worry and panic, I give the witch a smirk. Surprisingly enough she remains silent and just stares at me with this confused look. Continuing on my way, I move next to her on the porch waiting for her to speak. As the silence and creepy looks continued, I figured if the guard dog wasn't going to bite, I might as well go inside with the sharks.

"How come you remember?" Her words stopped me in my tracks.

"Remember what?" I ask with suspicion lacing my voice.

"Buffy being in prison with you." Her questioning eyes caused me to pause before answering.

"I didn't remember, at first. But then I kept dreaming of her, and they seemed so real; she seemed so real. She told me things, like what was going on with her and you guys during the summer, she told me she missed me. I probably would have just believed they were dreams but her scent was all over my cell." I felt guilty for saying the truth, like I was admitting to some disturbing fact.

"Tell me about these dreams. What did she tell you? How long have they been going on for?" Normally I'm not a sharer, but if telling her can solve what's going on with B, then fuck, sharing is caring.

"Like everyone else, everything really seemed like a dream at first. But unlike the others, I was the only one who had Buffy in their dreams. Then when I was alone in my cell and I was about to go to bed, I could smell her everywhere. My bed, my pillow, and even my clothes. I still couldn't believe it was all true, it just seemed too perfect…well, except for the ending." For a split second Willow's questioning eyes left my face to look down in guilt.

"Anyway, as I was saying, she told me about you losing it and going to England with Giles, and about what everyone else was doing and shit. Hell, I assumed in the car when you were talking about going crazy and what not, that you were just giving me some half-assed apology." Okay, so maybe that was the Cliffs Notes version of my dreams, but what goes on in my head is between me and maybe B.

"Fascinating," She says like a judge at a science fair, "you remember everything, while Buffy had no idea what you were talking about in the cemetery."

"What?" I ask, becoming more confused than enlightened.

"When Buffy came to the hospital to see the girl, she told me how she ran into you and that you lost your mind. I asked her what she meant and she said that you acted like the two of you were supposed to be close and that you said something about a conjugal visit." I guess when she smiled at me I was supposed to find it a little humorous, but I didn't. "I realized after we talked that you must have remembered something from her time there, but you actually remember everything."

"Oh, happy day for me. I remember, but Buffy still hates me." Who says sarcasm isn't a great defense. "So tell me, ole wise one, how she can share those dreams with me but not remember a fucking thing?" Yeah. I'm pretty fucking angry at this point.

"I don't know, but I think I may have a theory for you." Think?

"You think you have a theory?" Come on!

"Hey! I'm just finding out all of this like you, okay? A theory is the best I can do for you at the moment." Red is kind of hot when she's mad. "When you awoke from the 'dream' you somehow remembered Buffy and smelled her all around you. When I took Buffy, I did the same wipe on her that I did on you guys, but without the sleep part. I needed her awake and alert. After the two of us left, we didn't sleep for days. I was on the hunt and Buffy was after me."

"That doesn't make sense, Red. Everybody had the prison break dream, but only I remembered B and everything we went through there." I could feel myself getting desperate; I need to know why she doesn't remember when I do. "Do you think she just never shared her dreams with you?" Maybe B is afraid to tell them.

"There is only one dream I know that Buffy has been having continuously, for probably more than a month now. Same dream, different girl every night. It's the reason that I brought you here, Faith." What?

"Wait, so you're telling me B has been dreaming about something going around and killing girls? If those were her dreams, then how was she in mine?" This is way more confusing and complicated than I thought it was going to be.

"I honestly don't know, Faith. I wish I could tell you more, but I can't." Yeah, you better look sad, Red. You're the one that did this.

"So can you make her remember?" She should fix her messes.

"Faith, when I did what I did I was in a really bad place, the magic I was using was dark and ugly. I can't do that again, I'm sorry." Yeah, you're sorry all right.

"So what am I supposed to do, Willow? I can't just forget what happened." This just sucks.

"I know that, and I am not asking you to do that. I just need some time to work this out, figure out why you are able to remember, why she can't, and what's going on with your dreams. Are you still sharing dreams with Buffy? Could I ask Giles for help? I'm sure the two of us can solve this!" Putting my hands on Red's shoulders, I manage to stop her ramble before she passes out from lack of oxygen.

"You can tell Giles, but not a word to B about this. This is a real shitty time at the moment, and I'm just going to have to be a big girl about all of this until we can figure it out." At least now I know what not to say to B. It just happens to be everything I want to say.

"We'll figure this out, I promise. I'll fix this." Just to be a nice guy, I return the smile she gives me.

"So I guess we're good then." I meant to say something else, maybe throw out a thanks or some shit like that, but the door suddenly opens.

"Hey,Will, are you still out there?" I see Dawn standing in the doorway and she looks all grown up.

"Hey Brat, look at you, all woman-sized." And almost as hot as your sister.

"Is she staying here?" Dawn asks looking directly at Red while ignoring me.

"She can stay in the basement." All three of us look behind Dawn to see Buffy standing in the hall shooting daggers at me with her eyes.

"Hey B, long time no see." While my smirk gives the perception of a sarcastic outside, on the inside I can barely keep myself together. Somehow B looks hotter and more full of hate every time I see her.

"Welcome to Slayer Central, Faith. Be a pal, and make yourself useful."

After both welcoming me and insulting me, B takes her leave. Following after her like the good little pets they are, Dawn and Red are hard on her ass. Unlike them I take a few minutes to myself before going inside. I'm confused. I'm hurt, but mostly I'm just really fucking confused. Hopefully Red can help me figure this all out before I really lose it. Breathe in, breathe out.

Just remember, Faith: breathe in and breathe out.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: So even though I am following the last episodes of season seven this is not a rewrite. What I am doing is using the last season as a catalyst for my story and if things need to happen differently for it to work, then you will see shit you never saw on the show. I have a course in mind for this story, though I have no idea how many chapters it will take. I am glad people seem to be enjoying everything so far and that you all seem to understand the gap between updates. Once again I want to give love to my beta Gina, thanks Homie!!

Chapter 3

For a house full of girls the silence is pretty overwhelming. Maybe I should go talk to them, see how they are handling everything? I'd be surprised to find if most of them had even lost a pet fish before witnessing the horror that was tonight. I didn't come back for this, to watch young girls die, to see the Scooby's fall apart while B seems to be losing her mind once again. What are you doing B? You're supposed to be the big hero that leads everyone to victory, not a massacre. Then again, I guess I'm no better.

I didn't go to the hospital to stand by B while she looked at the injured, while she sees one of her best friends lying in a bed, forever changed, because of her orders. Hell, I came right back to the house with everyone else; I carried in a couple of girls and then took off to the upstairs bathroom as soon as I could. Everyone seemed too wrapped up in what happened to notice me and that's a good thing, they don't need to think they are dealing with two cold-hearted Slayers.

_Keep breathing_ is really all I can tell myself. It's been so long since my hands have been covered in an innocent's blood and I'm finding it hard to deal. I refuse to cry, don't want the wannabes seeing my eyes all puffy, but I can't stop myself from shaking. I tried to wash it off, but even after soaking my raw hands I could still feel her blood on them—

her lost life is now a weight on my shoulders.

I didn't come back for this. The reason I came back, the person I came back for, seems to have checked out long before I arrived.

It took me longer than I planned to compose myself. When I walked down the stairs I eyed both the girls and the door, either one seemed like a shitty option. Walk away and leave behind everything I thought I was becoming, or stay and watch these girls die from the one good thing I thought would always stay true.

"How can I help?" I made my choice when I came here with Willow.

Time is irrelevant when you block out the world and focus on the task at hand. Minutes and hours all seem to flow into one, and others like mere afterthoughts. No one here was dying, physically, but Giles thought it would benefit them if I just talked to them. G man must have been sipping on too much brandy if he forgot that words were never my specialty. Lucky enough I managed to make a lot of girls smile at my stories, I have yet to find someone who doesn't enjoy the juicy tale of a naked girl fighting a demon; and of course I changed the priest to a rabbi.

When B came back home, the girls would scatter from any room she entered. Normally I would just roll my eyes at something so childish, but no matter how I felt about her, I prefer to be somewhere else as well. For them, it's everything about her that pisses them off. They don't think she cares. I mean they know she cares about beating The First, but they wonder if she really cares about them.

They call her General Buffy; which I think is kind of hot. Or at least I used to think it was hot until I saw why they called her that. Majority of the time when she talks to these girls it's like watching a one-sided conversation. B tells them what to do, how to do it, and gets pretty pissed when they don't deliver right away. All they constantly hear from her is talk of war, and all they want is for her to treat them as more than soldiers. Tonight sure as hell didn't help them see her in a better light.

I feel like I should go talk to her. Since none of the Potentials sleep in her room it would be easy to speak with her privately. Well, as easy as it is for us to talk to one another. As difficult as things probably are for her, what with Xander in the hospital, if she doesn't start making things better with the girls now then things will only get worse.

When I open her door I instantly notice the lights are off in her room, but I know she's awake. If I was anyone else, I would take the silence and the dark to mean she was sleeping and leave as quickly as I could. But I am a Slayer. I can hear what other people miss.

She knows I'm here, so I don't announce myself when I enter the room. But as soon as I see her, I wish I would have said something. She's just sitting on her bed, back against the headboard, staring straight ahead at the wall and not acknowledging me. I feel pretty awkward.

"Hey B, can I talk to you for a second?" She stays like a statue and I don't know whether to stay or go. Once again I remember my choice was made for me days ago and I just need to find where I put my balls. Figuratively speaking.

Taking a breath to pick my courage off of the floor, I walk to the side of the bed B is sitting on. She still hasn't moved and I feel really uncomfortable just standing over her. Knowing I could be standing here all night while she just ignores me, I sit down on the edge of the bed right by B's side.

"I know right now is probably a really shitty time to talk to you, but I talked to the girls tonight and they are not your biggest fans." I meant to tell her more. I meant to tell her everything, but then she looked at me. She looked at me, and those beautiful eyes I've dreamed of so often looked so sad. I could no longer think of those words I came in here to say. Nothing was important to me as her anymore.

I have no idea how long we stared at each other, minutes or hours, time seemed so irrelevant. When she let out a sigh my heart ached for her and I couldn't stop my hand when it reached out to brush along her cheek and push a lock of hair behind her ear. For a moment I thought I was going to lose that hand when she realized what I had done, but instead she followed it back to my body and laid her forehead against mine.

I've dreamed about moments like this. Being so close to her and it feeling so natural lets me know I made the right decision to come here. When she pulled away for a second I wanted to cry out, but then she came back and grazed her lips softly against mine. That innocent touch sent shivers all over my body, and gave me hope that maybe she doesn't need to get those memories back to make this work.

Her sweet kisses didn't last very long. Quickly she pulled me into her bed and rolled us over so she was looking down at me. I was stunned by her aggressive behavior and the angry look in her eyes. I wanted to stop this right away but she pushed the length of her body against mine and kissed me with all the force of a Slayer, and I got lost in the overwhelmingly pleasurable feeling. Every time I have ever dreamed of this I pictured something so beautiful. But this didn't feel beautiful.

This is the type of pleasure I used to know in the past. Quick, hard, and angry was all I thought I could ever have but I know I can never do this with B, we are so much better than this. Pulling myself out from under her, I walk to the farthest corner of the room.

"What are we doing?" I ask while raking my hand through my hair.

"I believe you were helping me forget." B said while climbing off of the bed. Once again I was frozen in place with her penetrating eyes. She looked at me as if I were prey and she had been stalking me for days.

"If that's all this is, then I just can't do it. I'm sorry." Though I managed to find my voice I still couldn't move. For a second I wondered if she even heard me, the hungry look in her eyes still hasn't changed and her body was so close to mine I could feel her breath on my face.

"Face the wall, put your hands up, and spread your fucking legs."

What?!

"What did you just say to me?" Does she remember? "B?"

A dazed look slowly creeps over Buffy's face and she begins to rapidly blink her eyes. Turning quickly she walks back to her bed and gets into the same position she was in when I found her.

"What do you want Faith?" She asks in a calm, even voice that seems to have lost all the huskiness it just had a second ago.

"What the hell just happened, B?" I am so fucking confused.

"Weren't you paying attention, Faith? We went to the vineyard, it was a trap, people got hurt, and now we are home." She says in a very annoyed voice.

"I know that, B, I meant what the FUCK just happened two seconds ago." Now I'm confused and pissed-off.

"You came in my room, _uninvited_ might I add, and just stood there and stared at me. If you're done being creepy you are more than welcome to get the FUCK out of my fucking room, thank you very much." I wanted to stay and argue, so much more happened than what she just mentioned, but I could tell by just looking at her she truly believed everything she just said.

The walk back to my new room in the basement is a slow and painful one. Every step and every thought brings back the moments we just shared together. What the fuck just happened? First she was sad, then she was horny and bringing up commands from our shared sex dream, and now it's like I'm the one who's losing it. I just can't figure it out.

This whole situation feels so wrong, like I'm being played or something. How the hell am I expected to function if I have to deal with Bipolar B the entire time?

Should I tell Red or Giles, but what would I say? _Hey guys, I went to B's room to tell her how the girls totally hate her but then we started making out and when I tried to stop her she brought up this sex dream we had together and then stopped and acted like those two minutes didn't even happen._ Oh yeah. That conversation sounds like a lot of fun.

It's not like they would be able to do anything right now anyway. I guess the best thing for me to do right now is just be there for B and wait until we kick the latest evil's ass to the curb to fix us. And who knows. Maybe I can get a few more make-out sessions in the meantime.

That'd be five by five by me.

5


	4. Chapter 4

AN: I feel really bad because I meant to get this chapter done and out much sooner but lately my work and personal life have been pretty crazy and I just have not had the time. The one thing I can promise is that I have every chapter planned out so there should be no worries that this is going to be dragged out. In this chapter some of the conversation I took directly from End of Days but the majority is mine. Anyway I just want to say sorry once again to the people who have been waiting and thank you to my beta and those of you who actually take the time to review.

Chapter 4

Tension.

Apparently it's not just a feeling, it's a lifestyle…or at least that's what B has me believing after a few days of living with her. At first I just thought it was me—let's face it, in this group it usually is me—but Miss Super Slayer seems to be giving everyone the cold shoulder. I get it, really, I mean we're facing a major battle against a big bad that we can't touch, and the general for the bad guys just wiped the floor with us. This situation pretty much sucks, but B needs to remember she is not alone in this fight. Granted, we are the only hot chicks with super powers in the group—I'd count Red if she wasn't so scared to use her magic—but everyone else seems to be trying their best to do what they can.

Today was such a long day, and it's just barely getting dark out. Buffy was at the peek of her avoidance game today. First she decides the girls need to know the opposition better, so she makes them take a "class" all day, which would have probably been cool if it wasn't run by Anya and Andrew. I mean, I'm as happy as the next person to get these girls out of my hair for the day, but even I think an all- day class with those two is just cruel and unusual punishment. Then right as the girls were going down to the basement, Red runs right to Buffy's side and asks when they were going to go see Xander. It seemed like a good idea to me, until I saw a panicked look cross B's face. I'm sure Red would have seen it too if she was looking at B instead of the Silver-Spoon Potential's ass as she was leaving the room.

Before Red even had a chance to come back from whatever fantasy her mind had taken her to, B quickly told her she had a mission for her and Giles. As if waiting for his name to be said, G man walks right into the room and asks all British-like about what she wants them to do. Everything probably would have worked out fine for B, but right before Willow was out the door she told Buffy she would bring everything to the hospital so B could get it there when they visited Xander. As soon as they were out of the house and all the girls were in the cellar, Buffy let out a very large sigh and just gazed out of her kitchen window. I wasn't sure if she knew I was still there.

"You okay?" I asked even though I knew the answer.

"Of course I am, this is what I do, evil comes after me and I knock its ass down."

Maybe if she had put more energy into what she was saying I would have believed her.

"Still, this seems like a pretty shitty situation." How is it that she was way easier to talk to when she was all crazy and locked inside a cell with me?

"What do you want from me, Faith? Do you want me to cry? Do you want me to tell you how unfair it is that I have to live my life based on what apocalypse I am facing each week? Sorry, but I don't see that happening. This is the life of the Slayer. If you would have ever owned up to your responsibility you'd know that."

Ow, she always knows exactly where to cut me.

"Don't throw my past in my face if you're not going to give me the chance to apologize for it." I'm assuming her staring me down is not a go ahead to give a heartfelt apology. "I get that you're stressed, but no one is asking you to take this on by yourself. I know it's late, but I'm here now. Let me help you."

For just a second I thought I had reached her. My words caused her to pause and take a few steps in my direction. Unlike a couple of minutes ago the woman in front of me didn't seem so angry or rough. I knew this Buffy that was in front of me, this was my B. I wanted to go to her, to wrap her up in my arms and tell her I had her and that we could do this together, but I was fearful she'd slip away like she did the other night. Maybe I was right to pause, I could already see the hardness coating her eyes once again…or maybe I just blew the only chance I was going to get.

"I'm going for a walk."

Damn, well on the bright side the girls are downstairs and I have the house to myself. I wonder if there are any chips left.

*********

It took me a while but I managed to find the chips. Hopefully little sis won't be too mad that I raided her stash, but she should know that all's fair in love and potato chips. Just to be fair, though, I was a good girl and cleaned up the kitchen before diving into my well-deserved snack. But you know how karma works, as soon as my hand went into the bag the cellar door just had to open.

"You got enough to share?" Yes, but I don't want to share.

"Trade ya for a carton of cigarettes and some soap." Apparently I managed to freak her out but she still wouldn't leave me alone with my chips. Damn. Well, I guess at least one Slayer should play nice with the kids. "Sorry. Habit. Shouldn't you be down at Hogwarts?" And away from my food.

"Probably."

Relax, share, we can always get more.

"All right. Playin' hooky. Score one for the boarding school brat. Anya's technique's probably a little different than what you're used to." Then again, how many people are used to bat-shit crazy.

Sometimes these girls make it difficult to be nice to them. I was just getting over Silver Spoon eating my snack when another girl had to come into the room, bitching and moaning about Anya's sex life, and jumping in on this yummy feast. But I'm a calm person, so no one died today. For a second it almost seemed like they might leave me alone, but then they had to start this whole woe-is-me bullshit about the preacher. If I remember correctly they walked out with barely a scratch, while the rest of us got our asses handed to us. Still I guess I can try to talk to B about doing something to calm their nerves.

"Hello?" Damn, she must be a superhero, all you need to do it think her name and she appears. Without giving her a response, the three of us go into the dining room to see what's going on. Even though I still find Buffy fucking hot, she does seem more exhausted than when I saw her a few hours ago.

"So what's up?" I try to say in my most peaceful voice.

"I just got these papers from Willow; it's everything they could find on Caleb." As much as I hate research, this is the best news I've heard all day…which is sort of depressing.

"This is great B; maybe this will have some dirt or a weakness on him." God, I hope so.

"Or how he can knock out a Slayer with a simple punch."

Fuckin' A, I guess the connection between brain and mouth is running slow for Silver Spoon today. Yeah, you best look apologetic, dumbass.

"I'm sorry, I can't believe I said that. I didn't mean it." Duh.

"It's fine, don't worry about it."

How fine can it be when your eyes are screaming at me?

"Shouldn't you girls be in Anya's class right now?" Push them away before it hurts too much, is that the game we're playing today?

"Um, yeah. We were just taking a break, but I guess we better get back." Ken doll pauses before leaving, looking as though she wanted to say sorry again but I shoot her a look that gets her to leave.

"Are you okay?" We both know the answer; I just want to see if she ever plans to be honest with me.

"Yeah of course. I still have some things to do, but why don't you get started on this stuff?" She asks slash orders as she gets up to leave.

"B…" I love you; please just talk to me. "I'm here to help, anyway I can." For the second time today I see her again—the girl I love, that loves me back. Just for a moment she appeared in those beautiful eyes…just to glaze back over with a blank expression as if she never heard me. Without any more words, I am left to watch her walk away from me once again.

**********

The rest of my day seemed so empty once she left. Training the girls, reading through the files, even hiding on the roof to drown my sorrows in chips did little to make time move any faster. Maybe this is why B always seemed to have a stick up her ass, an apocalypse can really harsh up a person's vibe. I guess that is something I do appreciate about my old way of life. Any moment I wasn't having any fun, I'd just go out and make my own fun.

Hell, one of the best days of my life is when I got the Golden Girl to be a little bad with me. Ditching school, ignoring her friends, grinding at the club, escaping from the cops—and okay, the day did end on a sour note—but up until that point I was having the time of my life. And even if she didn't say so, I know she felt the same. Everyone needs to cut loose once in a while, just shake off all the bad shit that's been weighing you done; let it all go.

Hopping down from the roof, I finally felt like I had the right answer for once. It's time these girls remembered what they were fighting for, that their lives won't always be so terrifying, that fun does still exist, that you just got to go find it.

"Who feels like going dancing?" Though I didn't say it very loudly, everyone quickly gave me their undivided attention.

"Did you talk to Buffy?" Surprisingly, even though Giles was in the room, he didn't ask the question. Dawn did.

"I'm not organizing an attack on the Bronze, I just think you guys could use a night off." Clearly still not comfortable with what I was saying, Dawn and most of the girls looked over at Giles.

"Well, things certainly have been quite stressful of late. I don't really see this as such an objectionable idea." I wonder if he really needs glasses or if he just wears them so he can take them off and wipe the hell out of them.

"Wicked. You heard him girls, anyone who wants to come out with me tonight go get ready and meet me down here in like two hours." The majority of the girls hauled ass up the stairs. Some lingered and seemed to be really thinking about what they should do. The last person to head up stairs was Dawn. I really don't know why she's so worried. It's just dancing. What could possibly go wrong?

5


End file.
